The APPT Macau Main Event has seen more entrants this year than any year since 2011, and the series as a whole has been busy setting records – with over 3,000 entrants across all events and over HK$35 million in prizes paid out. This bodes extremely well for the APPT and poker in Asia, as this feast of poker has served up plenty of exciting action.
Main Event: Jian Guo Sun crowned champion
As is often the case, the Main Event generated the most interest, as a showcase of Asian poker talent bought in and set to work at the tables. As the three days passed and the tournament wore on, it seemed a UK pro was set to steal the thunder and take home the trophy. Alex Ward had been prolific in accumulating chips, and once an AA vs KK cooler went his way, he became an even more dominant force.
With over 4.7 million chips going into the this starting table and his nearest rival having just over 1.4 million, the title was certainly within his reach. His fellow competitors had other ideas however. Early on at the final table, Ward slowly began extending his chip lead past the 6 million mark, but soon after, things began to unravel.
French player Bernard Vu is no stranger to live tournaments, and had been using his experience to build a stack. When Ward lost a big pot to Jian Guo Sun as the players were 3 handed, the tide began to turn. Eventually, it was Sun and Vu heads up, and after striking a deal, Sun managed to get the job done. He walked away with HK$2,149,600 (USD$276,782.) This fantastic win caps a dream tournament for a man who has only been playing poker for a couple of years.
Jian Guo Sun (Photo Kenneth Lim Courtesy of PokerStars)
The final payouts are as follows:
– 1st Jian Guo Sun – HK$2,149,600 (USD$276,782)
– 2nd Bernard Vu – HK$2,065,000 (USD$265,889)
– 3rd Alex Ward – HK$1,002,000 (USD$129,017)
– 4th Ying Fu – HK$755,000 (USD$97,213)
– 5th Jiayi Jin – HK$519,000 (USD$66,826)
– 6th Weijian Xie – HK$413,000 (USD$53,177)
– 7th Zhiyi Feng – HK$336,000 (USD$43,263)
– 8th Kan He – HK$283,000 (USD$36,439)
– 9th Yuan Li – HK$236,000 (USD$30,387)
High Roller : Nan Tu claims the title
The High Roller Event saw 73 players pay the HK$100,000 buy in, with a further 30 of them taking the option of a rebuy. The prize pool stood at HK$9,589,300 (USD$1,234,715.) Of the more familiar names in the event, Wayne Wei Yi Zhang did well to finish in 10th place, but the big money was of course, reserved for the top spots. As the tournament got down to the final few players, it was Nien Chi Chen from Chinese Taipei who busted in 3rd for HK$1,103,000 (USD$142,022) leaving Devan Ying Seng from Hong Kong and Nan Tu from China to battle it out. Nan Tu went on to claim the title, taking home HK$2,445,300 (USD$314,856) while Seng banked HK$1,678,000 (USD$216,059) for finishing runner up.
Nan Tu (Photo Kenneth Lim Courtesy of PokerStars)
Other side event news: Xuan Liu, Jason Lo and Alvan Yifan Zheng
In other side events, Xuan Liu managed to defeat all challengers in the HK$5,000KO Bounty. She took victory in a field of 267 players and took home HK$213,375 (USD$27,474) in prize money. Vivian Im managed a creditable 5th place in the same event for HK$52,560 (USD$6,768.)
Xuan Liu Photo Kenneth Lim Courtesy of PokerStars)
The HK$9,000 6 Max Event saw 169 players take to the felt, with a few notable names making it to the late stages. Sparrow Cheung finished in 11th place, while Leon Li-ta Hsu capped off a great week by taking 4th for HK$116,190 (USD$14,961.) In the end, it was Alvan Yifan Zheng who proved unbeatable, taking the title and HK$351,843 (USD$45,303) prize money for 1st.
Poker King Club sponsored pro Jason Lo will have been pleased with how his APPT Macau finished, as he overcame a 170 player field to take 1st place in the HK$2,500 Deep Stack. He adds HK$94,615 (USD$12,183) to his impressive list of career cashes.
That result wrapped up what his been an exciting APPT Macau, with familiar names winning titles, a big Main Event turnaround, and record breaking numbers involved.
Louis Hartwell
Graduated in Media Communication at the University of Lausanne, Louis Hartman is a co-founder of somuchpoker.com. He began his career in Cambodia as freelance journalist. In same time he was making his living by playing poker every night at that time. Intense learner, he read dozens of poker strategy books to improve his skills during many years. With a strong interest about poker "behind the scene" in Asia and his communication skills, Louis launched Somuchpoker in 2014.
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